Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak

After years of obscurity, Just Jaeckin's R-rated adventure The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak is released in its American theatrical version to DVD. Newcomers on the block Severin Films deliver the goods with an interview and special extras that help explain the film's troubled history. Much of the backstory can be found in Jaeckin's interview segment of the disc, where he explains both his involvement and some of the cuts that were demanded of him when bringing his original French version of the film to the States. Also included is a steamy LUI magazine photo spread featuring star Tawny Kitaen in the film's sleek costumes in addition to the U.S. and international trailers. Technical specs are impressive on this disc, which includes a 2.0 Dolby Digital track accompanied by a stellar anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen picture. Severin also released the original cut in a separate release as Gwendoline, which reinstates almost 18 minutes of missing footage and adds more features to the disc's weight (including two 5.1 Dolby Digital audio tracks). To be fair, the extra running time actually doesn't heat up the screen as much as it adds to the silly vibe of the picture's first half, though one comparison of the two releases should give the viewer an easy idea on which to go with.